Iceland Part XI: North Bound
My Journey: Grjótagjá and Hverfjall to Geosea.
4/30/2024, Tuesday
From the baths, we headed over to the volcanic cone of Hverfjall. On the way there, we passed by Grjótagjá, the underground hot spring used in Game of Thrones.
The area around the spring is covered in steaming vents. The spring is down in a cave that is along a fissure in the ground. It is no longer safe to bathe in the spring water but that did not stop me from pretending to be ready to get in for the purposes of a photo.
Wishing I Could
We chose to forego the climb to the top of the nearby volcanic cone. Instead,we headed towards the town of Reykjahlíð and along Lake Myvatn before heading to our next waterfall.
All around the area are little volcanic cones. Off in the distance, is Hverfjall volcano just across the lake. The Ring Road takes you almost halfway around the lake before it heads toward Goðafoss.
Lake Myvatn Area
Before going to Iceland, learn the road signs. This one tells you that you are leaving a town. There will be one similar to it when you enter a town and the pictures on the sign tell you what is in the town. The number is the speed limit and you will need to pay attention to these. They only tell you the speed once. If you miss it, oh well.
Leaving Town
Goðafoss is known as the place were Iceland’s people rejected the Old Gods by throwing their idols over the falls. I felt the need to tell the Gods and Goddesses they were still loved.
Goðafoss
Some people had crossed over the poorly marked boundary to get to a rock to take pictures. I am not sure how safe that activity was so I stayed clear of this. You could see some water moving under the ice so I bet it was not safe.
I got as close as I could. This is another place that I would love to see in the summer. I am sure, though, it would be much harder to get pictures without others in the pictures.
Goðafoss
From the waterfall, we headed north to Húsavík. It was after closing, so we headed further north to our evening bath.
Our final two destinations of the day are north of the town.
View from Geosea
First, we stopped at Geosea - Geothermal Sea Baths. These baths are supposed to be a good place to see whales when they are in season.
Whales or not, the view is great. And if the sky is clear, maybe you will see the Northern Lights. We enjoyed a drink from the bar and stayed until closing.
Light House
From the baths, we headed even further north to the camp site.
Húsavík Harbor
Along the drive, it started snowing again. This would have been a great place to watch for whales and light, but for us it was snow and clouds.
Snowing
We arrived at Camping 66.12 NORTH where we talked to the owner of the camp who was a magnificent person. I made us soup and spam for dinner. I absolutely enjoyed when we had kitchens to cook in.
Lessons Learned and Tips:
Use the traffic and weather apps
Stay off frozen waterfalls
Go to Geosea
Stay at Camping North 66.12